Ask HN: Are you alone in San Francisco on Thanksgiving?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4819792

by MediaSquirrel • 14 years ago

475 94 14 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

If you're in San Francisco and alone on this special day, drop me a line. We'd love to have you!

Twitter: @MattMireles Email: iwantbeer@swigme.com

My girlfriend is making cranberry sauce, stuffing and sweet potatoes to go along with our gigantic turkey. GautamSivakumar (http://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=gautamsivakumar) of MediSaS (who I first met through HN) will be joining us from England for his first ever American Thanksgiving.

I've been helped by strangers and friends and strangers who became friends. When I was 20, it was the people who picked me up on my cycling/hitchhiking mis-adventure down the California coast and let me stay in their homes on Xmas. When I was 25, it was the New Yorkers who welcomed me into a new city and taught me how to stay safe in my job as a paramedic. When I was 29, it was the entrepreneurs who introduced me to Silicon Valley and showed me how to get from Zero to 1.

And now, I feel compelled to return these favors in some way, small or large.

So...if you're in San Francisco and you need a place to call home for Thanksgiving, let me know. We saved you a seat at the table.

-Matt Mireles CEO, Swig!

SwigMe.com: The Liquor Store in Your Pocket. Get Beer, Wine & Booze Delivered To Your Door in Under an Hour

kloncks• 14 years ago

This is beautiful and shows one of the coolest parts of a great community like Silicon Valley. Thanks for giving back, Matt.

I sincerely hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving!

MediaSquirrel5• 14 years ago

Thanks man. I count myself one of the lucky ones.

rgrieselhuber• 14 years ago

Matt is one of the coolest people in the Bay Area and it is definitely worth spending the day with him if you're on your own today.

acoyfellow• 14 years ago

You are awesome. Cheers from Pennsylvania!

blhack2• 14 years ago

It's only a 12 hour drive from Phoenix! I can make it!

(I'm kidding, that would put me in SF around 1:00am -- hanging out in the hackerspace with my girlfriend making stuff instead :) )

MediaSquirrel5• 14 years ago

Do it man! We're in North Beach, near Coit Tower.

See: http://www.staysf.com/upload/attraction/20080519180416_coit%...

cicloid• 14 years ago

This is by far a great gesture!

Kudos Matt!

Credit_Swarm• 14 years ago

That is super cool. Matt Mireles you have a big heart. You just earned a new customer for Swig

louwhopley• 14 years ago

I'm not in America, but would really like to know how many people actually asked to join you?

Happy Thanksgiving!

joshaidan• 14 years ago

Let us know how many people show up!

dmor• 14 years ago

Awww Matt, happy thanksgiving - hope get to celebrate with you sometime!

sown2• 14 years ago

Too bad it takes caltrain 1.5 hours to get up there from SJ. oh well. Thanksfor the offer and happy thanksgiving

MediaSquirrel5• 14 years ago

We haven't started eating yet. You can make it! If you want, I can pick you up from the Caltrain.

simonebrunozzi3• 14 years ago

Sown, you should go! Matt, you rock!!!!

imran• 14 years ago

Although im not in san fransisco this post alone made my day!

mailshanx• 14 years ago

An awesome gesture. Happy thanksgiving from Singapore!:)

prohan• 14 years ago

Don't be lazzy make a language like Guido did

Goranek6• 14 years ago

what? xD

tinco• 14 years ago

Probably a reference to Van Rossum developing python during a lonely christmas.

Goranek6• 14 years ago

nice marketing..but still remarkable offer one big PLUS

jeduan• 14 years ago

This is beautiful.

I had a short gig in SF earlier this year and finding this kindness would have definitely helped me make my stay there a more enjoyable experience.

Abrazos from Mexico City.

viraj_shah• 14 years ago

Super cool man. Have a great holiday!

maxwin• 14 years ago

I am alone but not in SF. It is really nice of you. You are truly having a great Thanksgiving day.

shanelja3• 14 years ago

It's a shame this isn't the UK - I'm going to be alone for christmas this year and it would have been cool to spend it with like minded, kind people such as yourself and Gautam.

nulluk2• 14 years ago

Geekup (blackpool) generally have a christmas meal. It isn't the same but it's as close as your going to get. Good bunch of guys that go from the NW, most of @wearefarm will be there which are based around the corner from you

shanelja3• 14 years ago

Blackpool is 45 minutes away on the bus - thanks for this, I was really dreading sitting alone at christmas!

sixQuarks2• 14 years ago

Very nice of you! on a related note, I'm curious. SwigMe.com seems very interesting, but I would think there are a lot of legal loopholes you need to jump through, no? What happens when teenagers try to order and present a good fake ID at the door?

Goranek6• 14 years ago

I always thought that you can see fake IDs only on TV.. Do kids in USA really have "fake ids"?

I mean cmon ..this is hilarious

lbotos• 14 years ago

100% Yes. I know of 3 ways to get a Fake:

1) Online "Novelty IDs" 2) local "ID Trucks" Philly has a few. 3) An older friend that you may look like.

It's almost a right of passage in the US depending on your social circle.

Goranek6• 14 years ago

Haha, no need for fake ids in Europe :) :)

alphast0rm• 14 years ago

Fake ID's are extremely prevalent in US colleges for getting into bars and clubs. People usually acquire them from older friends who look similar, or order them from fake ID sites similar to idchief.com (a Chinese company that was recently closed after scrutiny from a group of U.S. senators).

gavingmiller• 14 years ago

Once had someone give me an id that was simply a second id with the face cut out and his id taped in behind it. Worked too until they separated handing it back to him.

sixQuarks2• 14 years ago

They used to sell fake "college IDs" in the arcades at Times Square in NYC, not sure if they still do. But I was able to use that when I was 19 to buy beer at gas stations all the time.

pyre• 14 years ago

I knew someone in university that knew someone that made fake ids in Michigan. Even after they upgraded the driver's licenses to have holograms, etc, this guy apparently had sheets of hologram stickers to put over the fake ids. This stuff seems like big business in 'college towns' where there are a lot of under-age kids on their own that want to drink.

jhuckestein• 14 years ago

Yes, absolutely, and not only in the US.

In Germany the legal drinking age is 16, but you need to be 18 to get into most clubs. When you're 16, you get an ID card in Germany. It's relatively easy to change the birth date on those using small, thin stickers that exactly match the font and background on the card.

andyhmltn2• 14 years ago

Believe it or not: yes. Here in the UK I remember most of the people in my school using the laminator to make loads of them.

joonix• 14 years ago

Yes... sometimes it's fake but often you just get a hand-me down ID from an older friend/relative who may look like you

agotterer• 14 years ago

For a few dollars extra ups and fedex wil verify that the recipient of the shipment is 21 years or older.

bravura• 14 years ago

Well done, Matt.

We haven't hung out in a while. Let's get together when I come to SF in January.

axyjo2• 14 years ago

I'm in Santa Clara, (so I won't be able to come up) but I'd like to help out. Any way I can chip in to the meal?

jason_slack2• 14 years ago

do you have a place to eat dinner?

axyjo2• 14 years ago

Thankfully, I ended up finding a place just less than an hour ago. :)

leemor13• 14 years ago

Would take you up if I were down there! All the way up in Vancouver, BC but I'll take a raincheck :).

stevewillows• 14 years ago

I wish I had done this for our Thanksgiving.

hjay• 14 years ago

That's very nice of you, Matt. Wish I was near San Fran! Have a great time nevertheless.

Jngai1297• 14 years ago

If only I am in San Francisco..... Have a great thanksgiving!

arschles• 14 years ago

Great gesture dude. Thanks for giving back.

simonebrunozzi3• 14 years ago

You're so nice Matt. Big hugs to you!

Sometimes I see random acts of kindness (like yours), and they still surprise me.

I bet every one of us did a few, and received a few.

codex_irl• 14 years ago

An especially happy Thanksgiving to anyone here from out of town or away from friends & family!

VonGuard• 14 years ago

Dood, go to a hackerspace. lots of people having Thanksgiving at Noisebridge and Hacker Dojo, I am sure.

I know it sucks being alone on a holiday, but you know, yer only there by choice. Lots of friendly people here inviting you over.

If yer still depressed Saturday, come to the MADE (Oakland's videogame museum) and play your heart out. http://www.themade.org

blhack2• 14 years ago

What city?

vlokshin• 14 years ago

This is awesome. Kudos to you for posting, Matt.

I just moved to the city (it'll be 1 month tomorrow), but luckily I had great friends waiting for me who I'll be enjoying the evening with.

But the awesomeness of this post almost makes me want to join you regardless haha

macey• 14 years ago

Awesome! That's really cool, Matt. Cheers to helping everyone get a little higher on Maslow's pyramid today.

On that note... Here's a link to donate to the SF food bank's holiday food drive. https://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5420/shop/custom.jsp?do...

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Xorlev• 14 years ago

This is incredible. Great thing you're doing! How about that hospitality. :)

schrodinger• 14 years ago

You've gotta bring swig me to NYC! I'd use it!

freshbrewedmike• 14 years ago

Hey Matt-

I just shot you an email- I'm staying near Height and Clayton, and this is my first Thanksgiving alone- How far is it to North Beach ?

mistrQ• 14 years ago

Wow! I wish I was in SF. Hopefully someone as friendly as you will be doing this in London (UK) next year.

onedev• 14 years ago

Thank you so much for being an awesome human being. People like you are my motivation.

jmedwards• 14 years ago

This is just plain nice. It's not often you get to say than on HN :)

malandrew• 14 years ago

Bummer. I kind of wish I hadn't agree to go to my gf's family's house. I would rather be nerding out.

anandkulkarni• 14 years ago

Classy move, Matt! Happy Thanksgiving.

zensavona• 14 years ago

This is truly awesome, it's so nice to see that (although there is at times bickering) the HN community still is alive at heart.

MediaSquirrel5• 14 years ago

Amazed by the turnout. What an awesome thanksgiving!

http://instagr.am/p/SWvz6dOENk/

israelyc• 14 years ago

Saw it too late. Awesome!!

caseysoftware• 14 years ago

That is fantastic. I hope you guys had a blast. :)

mladenkovacevic• 14 years ago

Happy thanksgiving to you Yanks from the south. What I find cool is that you say you started your entrepreneurial jaunt at 29. I'm 30 and just taking step 0.23 in my self-employment scheme but I often feel like I'm maybe too old to be trying out for this particular team. It's encouraging that it seems it's never too late to just try building something. So thanks for that :)

dcope• 14 years ago

This doesn't apply to me but this is absolutely fantastic. It's great to see people with kind souls doing nice things.

Happy Thanksgiving.

chrisyeh• 14 years ago

Matt is a mensch! Great to see you're continuing to fly the entrepreneurial flag.

MediaSquirrel5• 14 years ago

Thanks Chris. Happy Thanksgiving to you, TK and all the little Yehs.

richo• 14 years ago

This is such an outrageously awesome thing that you have done.

Thankyou.

SiVal• 14 years ago

One more thing to give thanks for is people like you, Matt.

hakaaak• 14 years ago

Way to go! Good turnout, too!

It makes me sad that all the HN stuff typically appears to revolve around SF and SV area, though. I feel left out. I think the problem is that PG and YC are on that side of the world, and the rest of us get screwed. I'd like to see a map of IPs geoplotted for the last hour, last day, last week, month, year, all time for those hitting HN, those commenting, those with the most karma points, etc. I'd like to feel like it isn't all west coast U.S., NYC, and India.

inspiredworlds• 14 years ago

awesome idea! wish i could have made it (even though i'm in another part of the world)

betadreamer• 14 years ago

Wow how nice of you. This is why I like HN especially after being pushed around in Walmart :P I would've ping if I was around SF.

gabriels• 14 years ago

Matt, thanks for the invite! Although I wasn't there this is really heartwarming :)

jmd_akbar• 14 years ago

I think it's people like you who give me hope about the future of humanity! :)

Thanks and Happy thanksgiving.

PS: I would totally drop by, if i wasn't living about 8000miles away! :D

flyingFlyer• 14 years ago

Hope someday, when I visit Silicon Valley, you would host Thanksgiving too. Would love to join you then.

For Now, Happy Thanksgiving from Nepal :)

messel• 14 years ago

good show Matt, way to celebrate the holiday

jeremy_k• 14 years ago

This was an awesome event! Just wanted to give a shutout to Matt for hosting all of us. It was great to meet tons of people from around the world who were all in the same position. It really made my day to know this community supports each other so much.

isacult• 14 years ago

This is amazing. Kudos to you kind sir.

Ask HN: Are you alone in San Francisco on Thanksgiving?

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